Nanotech Energy, Inc., was formed in 2014 to move the world’s leading-edge research on graphene supercapacitors from the laboratory to the marketplace. Under a licensing agreement with UCLA, and with the technical leadership of Richard Kaner and Maher El-Kady, Nanotech is scaling up production of Laser Scribed Graphene (LSG) supercapacitors and micro-supercapacitors for real world applications. Prototypes have already been created and an operational factory is in development. Nanotech Energy’s proprietary process is based on patent and patent-pending technology.

Our company goals are simple
To allow recharging of devices to be measured in seconds instead of hours
To recapture lost energy on a large scale, from wind, solar and wave systems
To produce a product that doesn’t leak or degrade with time
To have a significant social impact and create stakeholder value

Leadership

Jack Kavanaugh, MD, MBA
Chairman, Acting CEO

Dr. Kavanaugh’s background as a physician and a business executive has led to the development of an unusual skill set. That, coupled with a talent for discerning what’s truly innovative and an ability to accurately gauge the commercial potential of a given research project, start-up or company, has resulted in an impressive array of business accomplishments.

He has developed and managed companies at every stage – from inception to successful sale – creating industry-leading products and investor profits. Although his work spans a number of industries, he has focused on the health and science technology sector, capitalizing on his background in medicine and business to lead mergers, acquisitions, turnarounds, and corporate strategic development and initiatives. Dr. Kavanaugh is especially proud that the companies he has led have made a significant positive impact on society and the welfare of people everywhere.

Dr. Kavanaugh holds D.D.S., M.B.A. and B.A. degrees from UCLA, and an M.D. from U.S.C. He completed his residency in ophthalmology at UCLA’s Jules Stein Institute, where he later taught surgery as a part-time visiting professor. Besides his role at Nanotech, Kavanaugh is also Chairman and co-founder of Novonco Therapeutics, a company developing three first-in-class highly targeted platforms with potent anti-cancer properties; and SuperMetalix, Inc., which is developing a cost-efficient product that is more than twice as hard as carbide. Recently he assumed Chairmanship of Orbsen Therapeutics, an Irish-based company at the forefront of stem cell technology.

Among Dr. Kavanaugh’s business accomplishments: As CEO and Chairman of ZetaRx Biosciences, Inc, he successfully combined the intellectual property from three globally-recognized health care and research institutions, assembled a highly respected management team, and lead the development of the FDA clinical trial strategy. In late 2013, ZetaRx was sold, becoming the core of Juno Therapeutics, which went on to have the largest biotech IPO of 2014, attaining a market cap of approximately $6 billion. Recently, Juno reported 91% clinical trial complete remission of terminal cancer patients treated with their immunotherapy.

Prior to that, he served as Chairman of Calhoun, a biotech firm that developed the world’s only light adjustable intraocular lens for cataract surgery. Its industry-leading product has already completed FDA Stage III clinical trials. In 1996, Dr. Kavanaugh founded Amerident, a health care service provider, serving as Chairman and CEO. Under his tenure, the company organically grew its employee-ranks to over 600 by 1999, when it was sold to a public company. Amerident received over 30 community service awards and a state congressional medal of honor for its work with infants. As founder, Chairman and CEO of Team Global, Dr. Kavanaugh was responsible for taking the company public, helping guide and create value as the public share price rose from an initial investor cost of 11 cents per share to approximately $27 per share. He was until recently a member of the board of Materia, a company that holds more than 300 patents and is instrumental in the production of over 100 pharmaceutical products.

Richard Kaner, PhD
Chair of Scientific Advisory Board

In his research in organic and materials chemistry, Professor Richard B. Kaner focuses on the design of new high-temperature materials and their synthesis by new chemical methods. Dr. Kaner has been continuously honored for his outstanding contributions to the fields of chemistry and biochemistry. He holds over 16 U.S. patents—with 20 more pending–and has published more than 275 papers in major peer-reviewed journals.

He was recently named as a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and is the recipient of numerous other awards, including Fulbright, Guggenheim, Alfred P. Sloan, and David and Lucile Packard fellowships, as well as premier awards from the American Chemical Society, a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award, and UCLA’s Distinguished Teaching Award.

Dr. Kaner holds a joint appointment in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry as well as the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). A graduate of Brown University, he received his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in 1984. After carrying out postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, he joined UCLA in 1987 as an Assistant Professor. He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 1991, Full Professor in 1993, and Distinguished Professor in 2012.

Robert Snukal
Member, Board of Directors

Robert Snukal, the chief executive officer of National Quality Care, Inc., will use his expertise to develop prototypes and launch initial products in a number of industries. His work with Dr. Kavanaugh dates back to 2009 when he joined ZetaRx Biosciences, Inc. as Board member. There, he was integrally involved in its sale to create Juno Therapeutics.

In 1985, Mr. Snukal founded Fountain View, Inc., (now Skilled Healthcare) where he served as CEO. Under his management, Fountain View grew to operate 50 skilled nursing facilities, three institutional pharmacies and two therapy companies. In 2001, Mr. Snukal left active management, although he remained a member of the board and major stockholder until 2005, when the company was sold.

Mr. Snukal founded ITASCA Pictures in 1993 where he served as chairman.

Maher El-Kady, PhD
Scientific Advisory Board

Dr. Maher El-Kady received his Master of Science in Physical Chemistry from Cairo University in January 2009 and did his doctor work with Dr. Richard Kaner at UCLA, receiving his PhD in 2013. Currently he’s a Postdoctoral Researcher at UCLA and a Lecturer of Chemistry at Cairo University. His research articles have been published in Science, Nature, American Chemical Society and other journals, and have been cited hundreds of times. Articles about his research have appeared in such publications as: Scientific American, USA Today, and National Geographic.

Mahi de Silva
Member, Board of Directors

Mahi de Silva is a Silicon Valley veteran with a strong track record for creating, financing, building and scaling businesses that have had a $1B+ exits. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors at Pre-Cash, and is a strategic advisor to Opera Software, ASA, where he helped engineer a $1.4B acquisition by a consortium of Chinese investors. From 2010 until 2016, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Opera Mediaworks Inc., the largest subsidiary of Opera Software.